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Smoking habit from the paternal line and grand-child’s overweight or obesity status in early childhood: prospective findings from the lifeways cross-generation cohort study

International Journal of Obesity volume 42, pages 1853–1870 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

The role of smoking from the paternal line during the pre-conception period on grand-child’s overweight/obesity and associated underlying pathways are uncertain. We examined whether the smoking status from the paternal line was associated with the grand-child’s higher weight at birth, and overweight or obesity at 5 and 9 years of age. The grandparental smoking effect from the maternal line was also explored.

Subjects/methods:

Participants were fathers and grandparents and grand-children from the Lifeways Cross Generational Cohort (N = 1021 for the analysis at birth; N = 562 and N = 284 for the analysis at 5 and 9 years, respectively). Paternal and grandparental smoking was defined as smoking versus non-smoking. Children’s weight categories compared were high versus normal weight at birth, and overweight/obesity versus normal weight (based on BMI and waist circumference) at age of five and nine years. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the crude and adjusted associations.

Results:

After adjustment for several child and parental factors, at age five there was an association between paternal smoking and offspring’s overweight/obesity based on BMI (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR), and 95%CI: 1.76, 1.14–2.71, p-value: 0.010), most marked for boys (AOR: 2.05, 1.06–3.96, p-value: 0.032). These associations remained when confined to the children sample with biological fathers only (overall sample, AOR: 1.92, 1.22–3.02, p-value: 0.005; son, AOR: 2.09, 1.06–4.11, p-value: 0.033). At age 9, the paternal grandmothers’ smoking was positively associated with their grandchild’s overweight/obesity status based on waist circumference (AOR: 3.29, 1.29–8.37), and especially with that of her granddaughter (AOR: 3.44, 1.11–10.69). These associations remained when analysing only the children sample with biological fathers (overall sample, AOR: 3.22,1.25–8.29, p-value: 0.016; granddaughter, AOR: 3.55, 1.13–11.15, p-value: 0.030).

Conclusion:

The smoking habit from the paternal line is associated with grand-children’s adiposity measures during their early childhood, which might be epigenetically transmitted through male-germline cells.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the participants of the Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study, Ireland for their participation in each study stage. The Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort study is founded by the Health Research Board of Ireland.

Author contributions

CML and CCK conceived and designed the present research study; CML analysed and interpreted the data, as well as wrote the first manuscript draft; CCK leads the Life ways Cross-Generation Study and assisted in the critical review and editing of the manuscript; JM as the Lifeways’ data manager was responsible for the raw data preparation and contributed to interpretation of results, revision and editing of the manuscript; CMM provided scientific advice relating to the data analysis and interpretation of results, particularly the dietary and nutritional aspects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Cilia Mejia-Lancheros, John Mehegan, Celine M. Murrin & Cecily C. Kelleher

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  1. Cilia Mejia-Lancheros
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for the Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study Group

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Correspondence to Cilia Mejia-Lancheros.

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Mejia-Lancheros, C., Mehegan, J., Murrin, C.M. et al. Smoking habit from the paternal line and grand-child’s overweight or obesity status in early childhood: prospective findings from the lifeways cross-generation cohort study. Int J Obes 42, 1853–1870 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0039-8

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